This easy, refreshingly fruity cake with a delightful flavor profile is meant for celebrations! A naked raspberry cake with rose water Swiss meringue buttercream and the lovely crunch and flavor of ground pistachios.
Cakes and cupcakes are a huge part of my baking repertoire and I’m always looking forward to a special (or not-so-special) occasion to do so. Whenever there’s a reason to celebrate, there’s always going to be a cake in our house.
And I figured this naked raspberry cake would be the perfect choice as a Valentines day recipe! When I think of that little chubby guy with wings and a bow and arrow, I picture chocolate, strawberries, raspberries, roses and champagne.
All the things I love about this cake
- A simple cake with simple flavors in perfect balance. Just letting all the flavors do their thing.
- This cake is not overly sweet at all. Just the perfect amount of sweetness to celebrate all those sweet moments in your life.
- Soft, light, airy, fruity raspberry cake, based on my popular buttery vanilla cake recipe.
- Swiss meringue buttercream is so light, buttery, and creamy, and unlike any other! Pair that with rose water, and you have such an incredibly fresh and flavorful buttercream!
- Chocolate dipped raspberries on top.
- Ground pistachios for a lovely contrast in color and flavor.
All that’s missing is maybe a glass (or bottle?) of champagne.
Raspberry cake
I pulled out a couple of hairs trying to figure out whether I should use fresh raspberries or preserves for this cake. I tried fresh raspberries first, but the flavor wasn’t as strong as I would’ve liked and the final texture was a little “gloopy” for my liking.
Raspberry preserves on the other hand had more concentrated flavor and the sweetness and tartness that I desired and it also had the right consistency. I used my basic vanilla cake recipe and adapted it for the raspberries and sugar content.
I have always wanted to try making a “naked” cake and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. I loved it so much, that I think I just might keep doing all my future cakes like this.
P.S. if you love raspberry flavor in cakes, you can also check out my lemon raspberry cake with lemon curd filling!
Ground pistachios
The chunky pistachios added a wonderful crunch and flavour, especially when placed between the smooth sweet Swiss meringue buttercream and the fruity cake layer (they also make a lovely pairing with marshmallows like in these orange blossom marshmallows with pistachios). I wanted the green pistachios to add a nice contrast of colour as well.
I do have to confess however that I haven’t always been a big fan of raw pistachios. Which is a bit surprising considering my parents absolutely love pistachios.
I do love them in baked goods and desserts like cakes, pastries, ice creams etc. But I have to say I’m definitely warming up to raw pistachios now though! I even make my own homemade pistachio paste now, and these Italian pistachio cookies are also a holiday favourite!
You may notice that I have sprinkled some pistachios on each cake layer before adding the buttercream. However, looking at the end result I feel like I may have used too little of the pistachios for this purpose.
I would have loved a more visible layer of pistachios, so if you do give this a try, make sure to add more than what I have.
Rose water Swiss meringue buttercream
I am a buttercream advocate. I love them all! I really do. Check out my creamy frosting recipes for all the glorious frostings and fillings I love to make.
But if you asked me for my favorite, I wouldn’t hesitate a second to tell you that it’s Swiss meringue buttercream. Which in itself is interesting, because the first time I tried to make it, it turned out to be bit of a disaster and I swore that I will never try to make it again.
Since then, Swiss meringue buttercream and I have had an amazingly wonderful relationship. So much so, I’ve even shared my chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, as well as cheat’s recipes that I’ve developed for easy swiss meringue buttercream and easy chocolate swiss meringue buttercream!
Plus I can’t help but LOVE the moment I get my meringue perfect with those beautiful stiff peaks!
Rose water
Rose water is a truly amazing flavor, if used correctly. Especially for this cake, all you need is a hint of rose water (add too much and you’ll feel like you’re eating a flower bouquet).
When my husband tasted this buttercream for the first time, his eyes got big and he said it tasted just like falooda! Falooda is a very unique milkshake that is extremely popular in Sri Lanka and parts of South Asia. Falooda ice cream or falooda milkshake is an absolute kid-favorite.
I’ve also used rose water to make this amazing white chocolate cocktail and rose mocktail (blushing ginger fizz), as well as this rose syrup. But best of all, I’ve also used this rose swiss meringue buttercream to frost this spectacular magnolia cake (ginger cardamom cake)!
Recipe
Raspberry Cake with Pistachio & Rose Swiss Meringue Buttercream
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 3 x 6 inch or 8 inch raspberry cake layers tops trimmed (recipe below)
- 1 recipe of rose water Swiss meringue buttercream recipe below
- ½ cup raspberry preserves warmed
- 1 cup chopped pistachios
- ½ pint fresh raspberries to go in the buttercream, between the cake layers
- ½ pint raspberries dipped in chocolate to garnish
Instructions:
- Spread ¼ cup of raspberry preserves on top of a cake layer.
- Optional – wrap the cake in acetate paper and secure with sticky tape or a elastic band.
- Sprinkle half of the pistachios on top.
- Spread ⅓ of the buttercream on the cake and place a few raspberries in it. Then place the second cake layer on top.
- Repeat with the raspberry preserves, pistachio, buttercream and fresh raspberry, and place the third (top) cake layer on top.
- Spread the remaining amount of buttercream on top.
- Let it set in the fridge for about an hour and remove the acetate paper. Smoothen the sides and decorate with the chocolate dipped raspberries and pistachios.
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Recipe
Raspberry Cake
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
Raspberry Cake
- 4 large eggs separated, at room temperature
- 350 g AP flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 227 g / 8 oz unsalted butter softened
- 300 g / 10.6oz granulated sugar divided (230g / 8.1oz and 70g / 2.5oz)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup 125mL milk, at room temperature
- ½ cup 125mL raspberry preserves
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1-2 drops pink colouring optional
Rose water Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 4-5 large (150g /5.3oz) fresh egg whites
- 220 g granulated white sugar 7.7 oz
- 340 g unsalted butter (plus 4 tablespoons extra) taken out of the fridge and cut into cubes (cool, but not cold)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 12 oz
- ¼ cup of rose Water
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions:
Raspberry Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Prepare 3 x 6 inch cake pans (or 3 x 8 inch cake pans) with parchment paper.
- In your mixer bowl, cream butter and the first portion of sugar (230g /8.1oz) until light and fluffy for about 5 minutes.
- Add the separated yolks, one at a time, while mixing.
- Add the raspberry preserves and vanilla (and pink colouring if using) and mix through the batter.
- Sift the AP flour, baking powder, salt together and set aside.
- Add the flour in 3 batches, alternating with the milk (flour-milk-flour-milk-flour) while mixing on low.
- In a clean, dry bowl whisk the egg whites until they are frothy. Add the sugar and cream of tartar and whisk until it forms stiff peaks and is glossy.
- Add one quarter of the meringue into the cake batter and mix well.
- Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the 3 cake pans and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and let it cool for about 10 minutes and turn out on to a wire rack and let it cool completely.
- When cooled, you can trim the top of the cake and frost the cake. You can store the cakes in the fridge for a few days, double wrapped in plastic wrap and foil, or for months in the freezer.
Rose water Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- In a clean (heat proof) mixing bowl mix the egg white and sugar.
- Over a double boiler (that is over a saucepan of simmeringwater – do not let the mixer bowl touch the simmering water), whisk the egg whites and sugar constantly (does not need to be vigorous whisking) until it reaches 155-160°F/ 68°-71°C.
- Transfer the bowl back to the mixer and with the whisk attachment on medium-high, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and the meringue looks thick and glossy.
- You must keep whisking until the egg mixture cools down to room temperature (or at least until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch). The time it takes for this to occur depends on the bowl you’re using and the ambient temperature – It took me about 15 minutes.
- Switch to the paddle beater and while the speed is on low- start adding the butter, a cube at a time, incorporating each cube before adding the next. Add the salt with the butter as well.
- The icing may curdle while you’re beating in the butter. Just keep adding the butter and mixing the buttercream. It will come together to form a silky soft buttercream.
- Add 1 tsp of vanilla and 4 tbsp rose water and mix until well incorporated.
- You can add colouring if you like – but add only gel based or powdered colouring as water based colouring will not mix.
- You can store this buttercream in an air tight container and keep it in the fridge. You will need to let it return to room temperature and then re-whip the frosting before using.
- NOTE – Note – If the buttercream is too liquidy, you can put it in the freezer to harden slightly for a few minutes and then re- whip it to make it smooth.
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
The word “vintage” popped into my head several times while making, decorating, cutting and then eating this cake. That and a host of strange nostalgic memories that really had nothing to do with cake or even food for that matter.
The sweet scent of rose water took me back to the times when I was little and I would go through my grandmother’s armoire, rummaging through her clothes, jewellery and perfume.
The dull pink color of the fruity cake layers reminded me of old faded pink dresses I owned and the faded pink of my old “security pillow”. And the buttercream tasted just like one of our absolute favorite milkshakes (faluda) from many years ago like I’ve already mentioned.
It’s amazing how a subtle scent or a flavor can trigger connections like that deep in your brain and recall memories that are so near and dear to you. So yes, I would absolutely use the word vintage to describe this beautiful cake. The only thing that’s missing is maybe a string of pearls wrapped around it.
Mr K and I both loved this cake! The flavors were just perfectly balanced. The raspberries add a very nice fruity sweetness which is complemented well by the floral scent and flavor of rose water.
The pistachios provide a nice crunch and an earthy flavour. Oh and the buttercream! It was melt-in-your-mouth soft and smooth and the raspberries buried in the buttercream gave little bursts of tart fruity flavor.
The cake isn’t overly sweet at all, so you’re not left feeling like you had something too indulgent.
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